Quick notes from a briefing Thursday, August 20th, at APS StampShow by Mary-Anne Penner, acting director, Stamp Services, USPS:

Year of the Monkey, 9th in series, pane of 12 again, two bright red-orange peonies.

Quilled Paper Heart pane of 20 elegant heart created using ancient art of quilling — rolling and shaping narrow strips of paper, gluing to make designs. Almost looks psychedelic.

Black Heritage: Richard Allen. 39th in series preacher activist and civic leader; coincides with his founding of AME church and election as its first bishop. Detail from an 1817 (?) print.

Sarah Vaughan Music Icon; based on oil portrait based on 1955 photo by Hugh Bell.

Botanical Art – booklet of 20, 10 designs, each a detail of an illustration in an American nursery catalogue 1891-1912. part of seed catalogue collection.

Indiana Statehood, 200th anniv., photo of cornfield near Milford Indiana, near sunset. artist grew up near Milford

Jaime Escalante, pane of 20, Calif. educator; proved that students thought to be unteachable could be taught to master even the most difficult subject. Based on 2005 photo taken by his son.

Pets – booklet of 20 – 20 diff designs from existing photos by one photographer. puppies, fish, hamster, goldfish, rabbits, cornsnakes, mice, horses, etc. Made sure all the pets are legal to own in EVERY one of the 50 states. (Ferrets didn’t make the cut for that reason.)

At World Stamp Show:
Repeal of the Stamp Act, 1766, pane of 10, souvenir sheet format, one design; crowd gathering around a liberty tree to celebrate repeal. Selvage shows proof of the one-cent tax stamp. Not part of a series.

another commem sheet, souvenir sheet, will be based on the two stamps issued today.